Title

Authors

Degree Name

MA in Conflict Transformation

First Advisor

Dr. Teresa Healy

Abstract

Colombia has suffered under its current armed conflict for more than half a century. There is finally a glimmer of hope with the progression of peace talks between the Colombian government and the country’s largest guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). These talks began in 2012 and have experienced a number of successes and failures thus far. However, they have been regularly praised and revered as a model for the world, particularly with regard to their efforts surrounding victims of the armed conflict. This capstone paper focuses on one particular group of victims, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) individuals. The experience of LGBTI people in armed conflicts has been historically excluded from peace processes. I explore how Colombia’s peace process has approached the LGBTI experience through interviews with LGBTI activists, analysis of the actions taken by the negotiators, and my own observations throughout my internship in Bogotá, Colombia. This case study highlights the complexity of social discrimination and violence against LGBTI individuals in Colombia and that occurs within the context of the armed conflict. The efforts conducted by LGBTI organizations reveal the critical role of truth and memory initiatives and capacity building. While much work has been done to ensure the inclusion of an LGBTI agenda in the peace process, Colombia is left with many unanswered questions about what a post-conflict society will look like for LGBTI victims of the armed conflict.